Bail set for brother-in-law of Al Qaeda figure

Over the objections of the government, a federal judge in Orange County set bail this morning for a Tustin man accused of lying about his ties to an alleged Al Qaeda terrorist.

Ahmadullah Sais Niazi was arrested at his suburban home in a predawn raid Friday and held without bail. But the court today said Niazi can be released on $500,000 bail, on condition that he submit to home detention and electronic monitoring.

Niazi, who has lived in the United States since 1998 and earned citizenship five years ago, is related by marriage to Amin al-Haq, an Afghan militant who fought Soviet occupation in the 1980s with a U.S.-backed Islamic resistance force that now is branded an Al Qaeda affiliate.

Trial begins for ex-FBI agent accused in robbery plot

In opening statements in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana this morning, a prosecutor alleged that a former FBI special agent plotted to rob a Fountain Valley house where he believed $500,000 in cash and drugs were stashed.

Prosecutor Robert Keenan said Vo Duong Tran of New Orleans enlisted his co-defendant, Yu Sung Park of Chicago, in the scheme.

Authorities say they used a hidden microphone worn by an informant to capture the alleged plotting, and the government says a stash of guns and ammunition was found in a hotel room that Tran and Park were using. The men were arrested in July 2008.

Tran's attorney, Alex Kessel, told jurors that even after his client left the FBI in 2003, after nine years as an agent, he longed to be part of law enforcement and that he never intended to rob anyone.

Instead, Kessel said, Tran was trying to gather information on the FBI informant, who he believed was plotting a crime, to present to authorities.

Both Tran and Park could face life in prison if convicted.

-- Christopher Goffard

Suspect kidnaps teller from home in bank robbery scheme [UPDATED]

Anaheim police are searching for a suspect who kidnapped a bank employee from her home, forced her to drive to her bank and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

"This is not something you see often," said Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez.

Updated at 10 p.m. The victim, who was pregnant and worked as a teller at a Bank of the West branch in West Anaheim, had the day off when a man knocked on her door, brandished a gun and demanded to be driven to the bank, Martinez says.

Elderly couple reported missing from cruise ship docked in Long Beach

Updated at 6:30 p.m.: Carnival says the couple’s cabin door was double locked from the inside with a "do not disturb" sign on the handle. The couple’s personal belongings remained inside the cabin and the door leading from the cabin to the balcony was unlocked.

Federal agents were called to Long Beach Harbor on Friday after an elderly couple who took a Mexican cruise this week were reported missing by cruise ship officials, authorities said.

They were described as a 90-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman, both from Southern California. Authorities did not release their names.

The FBI was notified about the missing couple about noon Friday. They were unaccounted for when the cruise ship docked in Long Beach, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

FBI seeks 'El Camino Real' bandit

The FBI has picked some unusual names over the years in its efforts to capture bank robbers. Remember the "Polite" bandit, the "Scarface" bandit and the "Irreconcilable Differences" bandit? But this is one for the California history books: the "El Camino Real" bandit. "

Perhaps because this particular bank robber had no distinguishing characteristics other than the dimple in his chin, FBI bandit-namers came up with a moniker right out of the History Channel.

The El Camino Real bandit has robbed six banks since Nov. 10 in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Sacramento and Auburn. Hence the name, from the old California missions trail that roughly follows the same path.

No word yet if California history expert Huell Howser will be following the bandit's trail.

Bomb threat, scuffle on Atlanta-to-LAX flight; man detained

FBI agents and Los Angeles airport police detained a man who claimed he had a bomb and assaulted at least one crew member of a Delta Airlines flight bound for LAX from Atlanta, authorities said.

The unidentified man was aboard Delta Airlines Flight 110, which was approaching Los Angeles, when he got up and stated he had a bomb,  FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

There was an altercation with multiple passengers, who ultimately subdued the man with plastic ties. At one point he tried to exit through one of the aircraft doors after the flight landed at LAX.

There was no immediate word on injuries. Authorities are currently interviewing the man, whose motive and mental state were not immediately clear, Eimiller said. The plane is being swept for any possible explosive device.

The man could face federal or state charges.

--Andrew Blankstein

Read the latest on the bomb scare on Delta Flight 110.